Description
This crispy sweet and sour chicken features golden fried chicken tossed in a sticky, tangy homemade sauce with bell peppers, onions, and pineapple. It’s a restaurant-quality dish made easily at home.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2–3 cups)
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup pineapple chunks (canned or fresh, drained if using canned)
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- Set up a dredging station with beaten eggs in one bowl and a mixture of cornstarch and flour in another.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, then coat in the flour mixture, pressing lightly for adhesion.
- Heat oil in a deep skillet or wok and fry chicken in batches until golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a separate pan, stir-fry bell peppers, onion, and pineapple chunks for a few minutes until slightly crisp.
- Combine ketchup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix cornstarch and water in a bowl to make a slurry, then stir into the sauce. Cook until thickened and glossy.
- Toss fried chicken and sautéed veggies in the sauce until well coated.
- Serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
- Use fresh or canned pineapple depending on availability.
- To keep chicken crispy, do not cover immediately after frying.
- For gluten-free, use tamari and gluten-free flour blend.
- Bake or air fry for a lighter version.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 950mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
